14 DAY TRIAL // Will sheds a lot of hair on the pillows and the sheets, and his weight may also prove he’s quite a troublesome sleeping companion. However, what has turned Will into an overnight star is the fact that he’s a Bengal tiger – who shares the same bed as his owner, teen Felicia Frisco from Florida.
Frisco’s name is now in all the headlines: at just 17, she sleeps in the same bed as the 100-pound tiger cub that she’s raised ever since he was no bigger than a stuffed animal.
Felicia will continue to share her bed and her bedroom with Will until he’s 1 year old, which is when he will go and join the other tigers on her parents’ educational project Tiger Encounter.
Asked about what is like to sleep with a tiger, arguably the most dangerous and unpredictable animal in the world – they say you can “train” Bengal tigers, but not “tame” them – Felicia says it’s no different than having a cat or a dog.
In recent interviews, the teen says she’s been around a lot of animals. In fact, not long ago, she was sharing her bed with Will’s father.
Then, when Will’s mother refused to nurse him, she stepped in and took care of him. She feels like a mother to him because of that, and is convinced the bond they share is similar to that of a mother-child one.
“I get a lot of hair up my nose and all over my sheets. He likes to lick me a lot too,” Felicia says. “It’s kind of like raising a dog,” she adds.
However, it’s not exactly like raising a dog, because raising a tiger is countless times more expensive and, last but not least, risky. It can turn on you in a blink of an eye, whereas dogs are far more submissive.
“If you raise a tiger, it’s normal to you. My parents always say that you don’t fully trust an animal, even a dog. You need to make sure you’re aware of the risks,” Felicia says.
“I’m very protective of him and I always want to be around him. He was so small, and watching him get so big, it’s kind of like having a child,” the teen adds.
For a taste of the kind of debate Felicia’s gesture of raising Will, the Bengal tiger, like he was a “pet,” check out an ABC segment below – and speak your mind in the comments section below.
